Geoguide
Sea
Turtles
* Most female sea turtles come
ashore several times every two
or three years to nest. Yet we
know little about how sea turtles
navigate, where they grow up,
or how long they live. Why is it
so difficult to study sea turtles?
* A leatherback hatch
ling, smaller than a
child's hand, may grow
to a length of six feet.
Children can visualize
that enormous growth
by making a paper cut
out of a leatherback
(grocery bags opened
out and taped together
work well). The cara
pace should measure six
feet by three feet. What
advantages might such
size give a sea turtle?
* The eggs of a loggerhead sea
turtle look like Ping-Pong balls.
A female lays about 110 eggs in
one nest; they hatch in less than
two months. Very few hatch
lings survive to adulthood. What
are some dangers that sea turtles
face, and how can those threats
be reduced?
* Discarded plastic bags resem
ble jellyfish-a favorite food
for some sea turtles. Turtles
swallow the bags, which can
block their digestive tracts and
kill them. A child can see how
much a plastic bag looks like a
jellyfish by floating one in a sink
full of water. What can families
and communities do to keep
plastics and other trash out
of the sea?
* Twice yearly, leatherback tur
tles migrate as far as 2,700
miles, equal to about 39 degrees
of latitude. You can use
the supplement map in
this issue to help a child
measure 39 degrees due
north or south of home.
SUE STEERE (ABOVE) MEETS A
YOUNG GREEN TURTLE OFF
GRAND CAYMANISLAND. A
NEWLY HATCHEDKEMP'S RID
LEY TURTLE (LEFT) SCRAM
BLES TOWARDTHE SEA ON
MEXICO'S GULF COAST, THE
SPECIES' CHIEF NESTING
REGION.
USE THE GEOGUIDE PAGE ALONG WITH THE ARTICLE "SEA TURTLES: IN A RACE FOR SURVIVAL" IN THIS ISSUE TO HELP CAPTURE
THE INTEREST OF YOUNG READERS AND STIMULATE DISCUSSION WITH THEM. GEOGUIDE IS PUBLISHED FOUR TIMES A YEAR.
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